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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. last — finally
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. face — to confront
  7. rock — music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — for catching
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ball — a dance
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cap — of ice
  19. last — to go on
  20. tear — from crying
  21. last — final
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. cap — a hat

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com